Aston Martin

Aston Martin is dead serious about marketing the new Cygnet to luxury buyers in crowded metropoli (yes, we made that up…) like London. And to that end, the upscale British automaker is unveiling its new city car at no less prestigious a location than Harrods.

More than an ordinary department store, Harrods is a veritable London institution, with 360 departments spread out over seven floors of upscale shopping. The Cygnet is being shown in a ground-level window display there until December 11.

This marks the first time the production-ready Cygnet is being seen in public, with production set to begin in the new year. Full details in the press release after the jump, with high-resolution images in the gallery below.

If you’re in the market for a luxurious four-door, you’d be hard pressed to do better than the Aston Martin Rapide. But now the British automaker has announced an even more exclusive package called the Rapide Luxe.

Over and above all the bells and whistles that come standard on the Rapide, the Luxe trim gets you a selection of exclusive color options (including Quantum Silver and Concours Blue), a custom-fitted leather luggage set matched to the hides of the car’s interior, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, plus glass switchgear and keyfob. Just when you thought the existing Rapide was as good as it gets…

Follow the link for a closer look and check out the images in the gallery below for more details.

Another day, another change in the winds surrounding the Aston Martin Lagonda. After last month’s revelation that the high-riding Aston would remain nothing more than a bad dream for fans of the brand, Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, recently let it slip that the crossover had been given the green light. The luxury utility is slated to ride on the Mercedes-Benz GL platform, but the company is keeping drivetrain details to itself for the time being.

The Lagonda Concept debuted at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and has since existed under a hail of disparaging comments from journalists and enthusiasts alike. Last month, Aston Martin owner David Richards officially announced that the project would be scrapped. And while there was much rejoicing at the time, it appears the Bez sees dollar signs in the mega-buck crossover market, pedigree be damned.

He may not be far off of his mark, either. Porsche famously stepped into the SUV market with its Cayenneand has been laughing its way to the bank ever since. It wouldn’t surprise us if Bez and the rest of the Aston Martin crew are hoping for a similar performance.Read more…

At least one lucky bidder has reason to celebrate today after managing to win a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that was famously used in two classic James Bond movies, Goldfinger and Thunderball. May we suggest marking the occasion with a vodka martini… shaken, not stirred?

Harry Yeaggy’s winning bid of $4.6 million (2.9 million pounds), which includes 12 percent in auction fees for RM, will see the car that Sean Connery famously piloted make the trek all the way from London to Ohio, U.S.A. Proceeds from the sale will benefit former owner Jerry Lee’s eponymous charity.

Apparently, the car is fully roadworthy in the UK, even with its dual machine guns behind the driving lights, revolving license plates, ejector seat, rear blast shield, slicer wheel caps and console-activated oil slicks. Somehow, we imagine Yeaggy won’t have nearly as much use for those Q-special features as Bond did…

Reports are surfacing once again hinting at possible future collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin. Earlier reports had forecast that the two firms could share engines and even platforms, the aborted Lagonda crossover concept reportedly having been based on the Mercedes GL-Class. Additional reports had further suggested that Daimler was looking at buying stake in Aston, however neither bit of gossip has materialized into anything tangible as of yet.

That could change, however, according to Britain’s weekly Autocar magazine, in speaking with Mercedes chief Dieter Zetsche. The affable Dr. Z hinted at possibly sharing technology – the kind of stuff which a small company like Aston couldn’t develop on their own – with AML in the future. That could include, of course, anything from airbags and spark plugs to engines and platforms, leaving the door wide open for speculation, so we’ll just have to wait and see.